According to the measurements galaxies are moving away from each other up to 9 per cent faster.

The discovery has caused scientists something of a headache as it seemingly contradicts measurements we already have of the Cosmic Microwave Background, or in other words the ancient rumble of noise from the Big Bang.

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The new findings were taken from measurements recorded by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

Dr Adam Riess, from the Space Telescope Science Institute in the US, said: “This surprising finding may be an important clue to understanding those mysterious parts of the universe that make up 95% of everything and don’t emit light, such as dark energy, dark matter and dark radiation.”

The findings will appear in a forthcoming issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

One possible explanation could be a new type of subatomic particle that may have changed the balance of energy in the early universe, scientists believe.

Astronomers used Hubble to measure the distances to stars in 19 galaxies with more precision than ever before.

It was Hubble observations that made the bombshell discovery in 1998 that the universe was not only expanding, but expanding at a faster and faster rate.